Victim of Wednesday's fatal fall identified

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man killed Wednesday in a fall near Silver Reef.

Kelvin Curtis, 25, of St. George died Wednesday afternoon after falling about 40 feet into a canyon identified as Boltergeist, near Yankee Doodle Canyon in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Cashin, who oversees Search and Rescue volunteers, said Curtis had been canyoneering with three other people in the area when he fell.

Life Flight responded to assist Hurricane Valley Emergency Medical Services personnel who accompanied Curtis’ companions on a 15- to 20-minute hike back into the area from an access point on Danish Ranch Road, about 5 miles from Silver Reef.

But once responders determined Curtis had died, LifeFlight was called off and Search and Rescue’s high-angle team set up equipment to recover the body during a night climb that involved a 600-foot raise up the cliffs where the quartet had been adventuring, Cashin said.

Curtis was a Dixie State University student who graduated earlier this year with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry, according to his online social media profiles.

Aaron Metler, the St. George City Recreation coordinator for Races and Special Events, said Curtis was one of the division’s employees and was working toward becoming a dentist.

“We’ve had a rough couple of days since we got the news,” Metler said. “He did a lot for us. … He kind of felt like a brother / family member to us. He was always happy and in a good mood, and he brought that to work with him. He inspired our staff to be in a good mood.”

Curtis was a runner who was climbing with members of Dixie State’s cross-country team, Metler said.

Kelvin Curtis(Photo: Facebook)

In 2013, the year after he enrolled at Dixie State, Curtis began volunteering with the city’s events because he needed to show volunteer hours to get into dental school.

“And then he became great friends with us. He was a great worker,” Metler said.

Curtis hired on with city races and events “because he liked people,” Metler said.

Curtis’ online profile states, “I am looking for volunteering and service opportunities. I enjoy helping people and seeing the happiness it brings into their lives. I enjoy working in well designed teams in which we can all add our expertise and get a lot of work done.”

During the summer, he and other companions traveled from Mexico into Central America where his activities included “spelunking (in caves) where the Mayan priests used to go to use hallucinogens and sacrifice people.”

He was a Spanish speaker who used his spring break in 2013 to help provide dental services in Nicaragua.

He graduated from Monticello High School in Southeast Utah in 2008, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the New York City area, and studied at Snow College before coming to Dixie State.

Between 2008 and 2014, he also worked as a timber crew member for the U.S. Forest Service, managing the observation of trees killed by beetles and doing other tree survey work, according to his online profile.